The Common Ills: al-Abadi's empty words

Tuesday, November 04, 2014

al-Abadi's empty words

Miko Morelos (Ecumenical News) rushes to repeat -- second hand -- the words of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on regret and sorrow about the attacks on Iraqi Christians and his promises of greater security. Morelos fails to note the similarity between these empty words and those of the previous prime minister Nouri al-Maliki or how Nouri's empty words never resulted in greater security for Iraqi Christians. Morelos fails to note that al-Abadi has yet to rebuke the recent attack on a Sunni mosque by members of al-Abadi's own security forces. Morelos fails to note that September 13th saw al-Abadi insisting that the bombings of Falluja's residential neighborhoods by the Iraqi military had come to an end -- even though the bombings continue.

Haider al-Abadi can say anything. He's just, thus far, demonstrated he's unable to keep his word.

Ecumenical News rushes to smooth things over and tie a pretty bow. They're hardly the only ones.

Word is the Kurds have about had it with al-Abadi.

But you don't see that in the press do you?

Last week, not covered in the US or western press, former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani sent a delegation to Baghdad to speak about serious issues and how the rift between the KRG and the central government out of Baghdad was again widening. Among the issues resurfacing are the failure of al-Abadi to pass a budget for 2014 or 2015 (he inherited the failure to pass the 2014 budget) and the attempts to prevent the Kurds from selling their own oil.

At a time when the KRG is denied federal funds and when the KRG's fighters (the Peshmerga) are carrying a heavy load, Talabani's delegation expressed the opinion that now is not the time to be pursuing Nouri's failed politics.

Though pleasantries were exchanged, the delegation wasn't stupid enough to be mollified by pretty words. If the rift widens, look for things to get even worse in Iraq -- and who would have thought that was possible?

The 'fun' of bombing from the air continues in Iraq. National Iraqi News Agency reports today's fatalities include shoppers at a market, "A security source told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA / An Iraqi warplane bombed the Qai'm market amid the district, which resulted in the killing of five civilians and wounding / 35 / others, pointing out that this is a preliminary outcome due to the intensity of the shelling."

The following community sites -- plus Antiwar.com and The Diane Rehm Show -- updated: